Blog Archives
Ranking the Rangers—Part Two: 13-19
John Dundon
Ranking all players who suited up in at least 10 games (regular season/playoffs) in 2015-16. Part two:
19) Dominic Moore:
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Soon to be former Ranger, Dom Moore, comes in at #19 on my list.
The New York Post has reported that the Rangers are not expected to re-sign the 35-year-old journeyman after a what Alain Vigneault described as a tough year for the fourth-line centermen. Whether or not this is how things really unfolded for Moore in 2015-16 is somewhat subjective. It’s difficult to reflect on the season Moore had without taking note of his line mates for the majority of the season. Moore was wedged between a carousal of really bad players for the bulk of the year. He played significant minutes with Jarret Stoll, Tanner Glass, Danny Paille and Jayson Megna. Read the rest of this entry
Mailbag – Offseason predictions, the potential of trading Lundqvist, and a lack of heart?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Welcome back to another mailbag article, where I answer reader questions and give my honest opinion on the topic. With the Rangers being knocked out of the playoffs much earlier than usual, I might be doing more of these to fill the gap between now and the start of the season.
Check on Facebook and Twitter for an announcement for the next edition, and ask me questions about anything Rangers or NHL.
With that in mind, let’s get started!
What are your predictions for Staal, Girardi and Nash in 2016? Will they be kept and will they improve? Or will they be dealt and if so, what do you see coming in return? – Kevin Kelly
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Keep him or Dump him: New York Rangers edition
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
It’s been addressed many times before, but there’s going to be quite a lot of changes this offseason for the Rangers. Alain Vigneault addressed it on breakdown day, and some of the players alluded to it as well.
This team as it stands has a lot of problems. There was the rapid decline of some of the players, seemingly a lack of a full 60 minute effort from the players on a consistent basis, and what Vigneault described as a “puck-moving problem.” All of that, coupled with the defensive breakdowns, atrocious penalty kill and lack of line chemistry was all evident in the team’s five game series loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
Part of the change the Rangers will experience will come in the form of a new lineup. There are A LOT of upcoming free agents, both RFAs and UFAs, and not a lot of salary cap space to sign all of them. Some tough decisions will have to be made, and it could potentially help shape the next era of Rangers hockey – for better or for worse. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers season comes to a close with 6-3 thrashing in Pittsburgh
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Alain Vigneault said before the game that his team has been there before, and they’ve been successful by staying in the moment. Unfortunately, that success didn’t carry over to this season, as they lost this game, this series, and their season, by the final score of 6-3.
One of the things the Rangers said they needed is the strong presence and scoring of Rick Nash, and he opened up the scoring for his team 1:01 into Game 5. Brady Skjei made a fast pass to Dan Girardi, who took a shot from the point. That got deflected by Nash in front for the early Rangers’ lead.
But the Blueshirts didn’t stop there. They proceeded to harass Murray and were able to get quite a few quality opportunities. Specifically, they had an odd-man rush where Nash made a great pass to Girardi in front of the net, but Murray made a good save to prevent a bigger lead. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers head to Pittsburgh for Game 5 with their season on the line
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Just like the last two seasons, the Rangers find themselves in a 3 games to 1 series deficit, dropping two straight games on home ice to the Penguins. Starting tonight at the CONSOL Energy Center, Alain Vigneault’s squad will be looking to make it three straight seasons with a come from behind series victory.
In 2014, the Rangers defeated the Penguins after being down 3-1, winning two on the road and Game 6 at MSG. Last year, the Rangers found themselves in the same hole to the Capitals, winning three straight games including a Game 7 overtime winner from Derek Stepan.
The only positive to take out of this is that the Rangers have been in this situation before, they tend to respond well to adversity, and they’ve knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs for two straight seasons. Other than that, it’s a tough mountain to climb. Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 